F1 LIVE | Verstappen spills the beans on McLaren swap as Bortoleto left in disbelief

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Leclerc loses Monza podium? Vasseur responds: ‘It’s a shame'

Ferrari was unable to secure a podium at their home race in Monza, with Charles Leclerc finishing fourth and Lewis Hamilton in sixth. Leclerc’s race began positively as he overtook Piastri at the start and engaged in an early battle with the Australian. However, this duel compromised his medium tyres, causing him to struggle in the first stint and nearly lose fourth place to George Russell. Team principal Frederic Vasseur noted that the tyre performance was overestimated, which ultimately affected Leclerc’s pace in the opening laps.

Vasseur also expressed disappointment to the Tifosi for not delivering a podium: he reflected on what could have been done differently at the start but acknowledged that, overall, it was unfortunate for Ferrari. He emphasized that a podium finish at Monza would have been a magical moment for the fans, who deserved to celebrate their team at the top step of the podium.

Stella pushes McLaren to take measures following Verstappen's dominant win  

Not a great weekend for McLaren in Monza, as both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were unable to challenge Max Verstappen, who secured another victory in Italy. The Woking-based team struggled on the low-drag Monza circuit, and Verstappen capitalized on McLaren’s weaknesses to finish 19 seconds ahead. Norris and Piastri also faced challenges during pit stops, including a slow stop for Norris and a team order that forced Piastri to give back a position, further highlighting McLaren’s difficulties in managing the race.

Team Principal Andrea Stella admitted that the team underestimated Red Bull’s pace and acknowledged that the weekend exposed fundamental design limitations in McLaren’s car. He stressed that the team will take the Italian GP as a lesson for the future, aiming to improve performance across all types of circuits rather than being competitive only in certain conditions. Stella noted that the gap to Red Bull was larger than expected, emphasizing the importance of learning from this experience to ensure broader competitiveness.

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